


Robert And Jessie In The Second Mill Flat

by theprincessed



Series: Village Talk [22]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Conversations, DIY, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 08:16:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15815019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theprincessed/pseuds/theprincessed
Summary: Jessie comes to Robert with a problem. As her landlord, he has to fix it…somehow.





	Robert And Jessie In The Second Mill Flat

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! It's been a little while. This was meant to be something else, but I turned it into a VT instead. Mostly wish fulfillment really.
> 
> Hope you enjoy x

In the past, Robert has been a hands-on type of guy when it comes to property. As soon as he was old enough and had everything he thought he wanted in working for the Whites back in the village he grew up in with Chrissie on his arm, he's been put in charge with what Home Farm entailed, including the estate, Wylie's Farm and various cottages.

Fast forward four years since his return and things have changed wholeheartedly, but for the better. His life with Aaron feels complete, even if he is a bit more relaxed when it comes to technically being a landlord again. Currently, the radio is blasting some Top 40 radio station Aaron usually scowls at but says nothing about because he knows Robert likes something upbeat to listen to that cuts through the monotony of housework.

It is why, when home alone, it takes Robert a long time to hear a knock at the door over the music combined with his frantic vacuuming that he's trying to get done before Aaron comes back from Keepers with Seb. He switches off their pricey Dyson and walks towards the increasingly insistent knocking to open the door to Jessie. She looks a mixture of fretful and awkwardly apologetic, as if she really needs his help but rather she didn't. Trying not to be offended already, Robert consciously covers his wide-eyed look of surprise with a smile and a lift of his chin in greeting.

"Hiya - listen, I'm sorry to bother you," Jessie's voice drowned out by the radio that Robert didn't turn down. "But I have a bit of a problem,"

"Oh." Robert says blankly, before remembering his manners. Despite his family returning imminently, with Liv already on the bus home too (he texted; she begrudgingly replied in vague teenage talk), he steps aside. "You better come in then."

He sees her wince and launches himself at the radio to switch it off, but now they're standing in the living room with the place still a tip and nothing to distract them. With one polite look between them, Jessie sighs heavily.

"I know we don't really have much to do with each other - "

"Yeah," Robert huffs an embarrassed laugh, as he motions to the armchair behind Jessie. "sorry about that. I've been meaning to ask you how you've been getting on in the other flat. I mean, technically me and Aaron are your landlords, so we should be keeping on top of stuff like this, but - "

"No, no, don't be daft!" She leans back then sits forward again, troubled as she remembers why she's here. "It's just, yeah - you're probably who I should come to with this. I've got a leaky tap and I have no idea how it's happened. I swear I've tried to take care of everything and Ellis isn't even here yet - did I mention Ellis? I don't know if you've heard - he's my son and he'll be here soon and - "

Robert lifts his hand to stop her, grinning. "Say no more. I'll get the tap sorted, of course. I'll call the plumber we use and - " Suddenly, he stops short as an idea comes to him. "Actually, I could look at for you?"

Jessie raises her eyebrows. "You?"

"Alright, don't go overboard with the compliments," he says, sarcasm never far away.

"I'm sorry!" she giggles, face lighting up. "I just didn't picture you as the type to get your hands dirty. Now, Aaron..."

"I'm not, usually. But," he shrugs, standing up, "I've been known to have a few tricks up my sleeve." She smirks at him for that and he keeps his smile, figuring he'll let her think what she wants as he gestures at his blue striped shirt and jeans. "Okay, lemme get changed into something else and I'll meet you at yours?"

After their goodbyes, Jessie lets herself out to go back to her flat and Robert swaps his everyday look for older, faded jeans he doesn't mind getting wet and a grey t-shirt that's seen better days. He's fairly sure there's even a hole near the hem, but he's probably going to have to lay on the floor to get a proper look at the problem so it's not going to matter what he looks like, however much it pains him. Aaron admitted to him once that it's his favourite side to him, so he tries to keep that mostly a secret for his husband.

The door is already open, so he takes the communal (Aaron's really) toolbox through to Jessie's kitchen, to see her leaning against the counter and she smiles a hello again. It's a bit more plain in here because Robert nor Aaron had neither the time or much of the inclination to make it as fancy as their own space, but it's nice enough with the exception of the incessantly dripping tap. 

Over the years, he's seen his dad and professionals tinker with things like this and if it's anything more complicated, he has the aforementioned plumber to call. He's also seen enough TV to think about things going very wrong with the untrained messing about, but he's going to take his chances because Jessie, his tenant, came to him, her landlord, for help and he's feeling guilty for shirking his responsibilities lately. Besides, if he does this right, he can brag to Aaron and Liv that he's a plumbing genius.

First, he looks at the tap itself then decides to check underneath the sink, pushing aside assorted bottles, tubs and cloths to make a space for himself. Everything from ribs upwards invisible, Robert lies back before he realises that he left the torch on top of the toolbox and can't see a damn thing.

"I think you'll be needing this..." Jessie says smoothly, wielding the torch.

"You're already better than me," he replies, looking towards his feet to grab it from her. "Don't tell anyone I said that,"

"Oh you wouldn't believe the amount of secrets I have now that I'm in with the Dingles," she jokes, her voice muffled but pleasant to have as he tries to figure this out with a spanner and his wits.

"Oh yeah, how's it going with Marlon?"

She sounds surprised. "You really want to know?"

"Not really," he admits, laughing when she hits his knee with what feels like a tea towel.

They move on to other general topics, like starting her new job as headteacher in the autumn and how it's been working for Joe Tate (actually quiet since Sarah took a turn for the worse). Jessie's filling Robert in on what to expect when Ellis arrives into the village when there's a knock at her door this time. He hears a male voice, wonders if maybe it's needy Marlon come to be the big man and rescue his girlfriend too little too late. 

Robert pushes his shoulders back and takes in a breath to puff out his chest, figuring he'll have some teasing fun at the hapless chef's expense, when he hears an even more familiar voice. "So this is where you're hiding."

"I'm not hiding!" he says, automatically defensive and narrowly missing hitting his head on a pipe as he tries to sit up. Except Aaron's workboots comes to stand between his spread knees to stop him.

"Oh no, he's helping," Jessie chimes in, returning to the counter. "Well - at least I think he is."

Aaron murmurs non-commital before falling unexpectedly silent.

"Aaron? Are you okay?"

"Robert - " he starts slowly, ignoring Jessie. "Are you wearing The T-shirt?"

"The T-shirt?" Jessie asks before Robert can reply.

"Ah it's nothing," Aaron clears his throat and his feet minutely shuffle, realising what he just said in the presence of another person. Robert grins, glad for the cover of the sink.

"He could do with a new one," Jessie comments.

"Have you two finished perving on me down here?" Robert smirks, biting his lips together to keep his real laughter in.

"I have a boyfriend, thank you very much!" Jessie argues then says to Aaron, "And your husband wouldn't let me talk about him,"

"Yeah, because he's boring," he retorts. "Sorry," he adds, because he's grown in many ways this past year.

"All the offence taken, mate."

Robert decides there and then that he's glad Jessie's in the village and he's glad that he and Aaron could give her and her son a home. Maybe some of her feistiness will rub off on Marlon. He was quite impressed that time he said he'd run a mile from Robert if he was Aaron.

"Ah c'mon," he teases, "I'm sure Marlon wears things he know will guarantee him a good time - "

"Robert!" Aaron growls, warning.

"What!" he laughs, lowering his arms from the sink because this is just too funny to him. "It's not my fault ya thought this was The T-shirt! That one's in the wash. This has a hole in it. Of course it's not the The T-shirt. What d'ya take me for? I'm hardly coming over here to knowingly seduce - "

The sharp kick to his foot cuts him off. "Shut up,"

"You're...weird." Jessie concludes slowly, as Robert slides out from beneath the sink now that his plumbing genius fantasy is severely lacking and before Aaron punches him in the nuts.

"He's the most egotistical vain idiot I've ever met," Aaron grumbles, trying to hide how his eyes track up and down Robert's body in a threadbare t-shirt. It might not be the one - The T-Shirt - he wears to tease Aaron into dropping whatever he's doing to have sex with him instead, but they still fancy the pants off each other on any given day and it's a fact that's hard to hide.

"Thank you," he grins, wiping black dirt smudges onto the t-shirt like it's a job well done. At least he tried.

Aaron rolls his eyes. "Robert, call Stu. He can sort this in five minutes."

"Okay, good idea." He sees the spark of surprise at how easy that was flicker in Aaron's eyes and gets the desperate urge to kiss him when he tells him that Liv and Seb are home, nods at Jessie and leaves. Robert should probably go after him.

"Go on," Jessie says, reading his mind. "Thanks for trying, but don't give up your day job, eh?"

"I'll get Stu to come and have a look ASAP."

He knows he's already halfway out the door, head several paces ahead of him, leaving the second flat to go back home. 

He likes Jessie. But he likes his husband a whole lot more.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, lovelies x
> 
> I'm on tumblr at [theprincessed](http://www.theprincessed.tumblr.com). Come chat to me. :)


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